Lesson Plans

Lessons on Black History in General

Photo

Katricia Gray, left, of Detroit, brought sculptures to Tulani Salahu-Din, a researcher for the Smithsonian’s new National Museum of African American History and Culture, at a November event to appraise possible donations to its collection. Go to related article »Credit Fabrizio Costantini for The New York Times

Times Topics

This month in my 8th grade visual art class we will be examining resourceful and environmentally unique design found in African architecture. We will look at the forms, the materials, the customs and
the unique patterns and symbols of countries like Senegal, Mali, and South Africa.

Students will then design and build a house out of clay, we’ll fire this and then paint the final form in colors and patterns of Africa.

We are doing a report on black history month to show how “blacks” or African Americans changed the world and made a difference. we also can do a report on someone who helped the “blacks”
against racism.

We used to treat them like they were completely different, but really they are the same. the only thing different about them is their color. everyone is the same inside.

I celebrate Black History Month in my Reasearch Writing class (grades 9-12 inclusive) by having them produce a 5 page, MLA-cited persuasive essay answering this thesis question: “Has the use of the “N
word” benefitted the African American community. It is the most energized and profoundly thoughtful learning experience for all of us. Each year I am swayed from one position to another. Each year the
sources–including a personal interview–become more varied and controversial. It is fraught with verbal-bombs, faux pas, and hands slapping foreheads in disgust or awe. We end the unit with a debate
before a school audience. It is gratifying as much for the learning as the “real life” connections.

My gifted students, in grades 1-5 learn about Black History month and National Women’s Month together. They then decide which person they would like to highlight as they research, use strategies and higer
order thinking skills to work on a unit called, “The Stamp Project.” In this project the students will discuss their persons biography, accomplishments and achievements, why they picked this person,
their impact on the world, and where they found their resources, bibliography. Then, they find out if that person already has a stamp in their honor, if not, they make one of their own depicting that persons
accomplishments or a highlight about them. If they have a stamp, then a copy of it goes next to their new one. The stuents then display their work on a poster board, fold out, diorama, etc. It’s great
to listen to them talk about their person of interest and how much they learn from it.

The Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election and the beginning of black history month are the topics of discussion on the PBS show Basic Black, which you can watch TONIGHT at 7:30 p.m EST LIVE at //www.basicblack.org or on channel 2 in Boston. You can also participate in a live chat at basicblack.org starting at 4 pm.

Our student population includes 60% African American 6th, 7th and 8th graders. Our students are cotaught by both a regular education teacher and a special education teacher and we are with the students the entire
day. I just received my classroom subscription to the New York Times Electronic Edition today so we are going to use our copies of the newspaper to teach black history across curriculum for the month of February.
This will include writing for Language Arts, DNA for Science, Estimation and word problem- solving for Math and the United States and it’s slavery issues in the late 1700s for Social Studies. To hook
our 8th graders into our plan, I’m going to use Art and Music and when I have them hooked , I’ll reel them in for the rest of the curriculum!

The School District of Philadelphia’s curriculum integrates culturally relevant materials and activities in all of its subjects throughout the year. However, since we have a mandatory high school course in
African American History, in that African American history is taught all year long; we begin African American History month each year by teaching a lesson on Carter G. Woodson and his original purpose for “Negro
History Week”( Dr. Woodson’s purpose was for students, educators and parents to use February to demonstrate what what was learned about African Americans all year). The lessons and activities encourage
students to creatively express their knowledge and understanding of African American history. “This year’s theme” A Century of African American Firsts: The Pursuit of Intellectual and Artistic
Excellence”(1909-2009). Students researched multiple sources to write essays or poems; compose songs; create artwork or choreographed a dance to demonstrate their understanding of this year’s theme.

I am looking for insightful lessons on Colin Powell. I teach a class of about 9 young men and 2 young ladies. I wanted to use the military approach for discipline and behavior structure for the students.

Thank you Yvette

Hello Yvette – Thank you for writing in! We have 20 lessons that reference Colin Powell, including this one specifically focused on him and his career. We also have numerous lessons on the military and veterans, though none about military discipline per se. I hope these are useful starting points for you. – Holly

Recently I made this discovery while researching my Louisiana French creole ancestry. What has become now an amazing discovery is American History that is left out of American Text books.

Part of my research was featured on the PBS program segment title “:the Galvez Papers” I invite you to take a look hopefully it will inspire today’s youth as they look to discovering pieces
of family history not found in their school text books.

Learning more about Black History is the point of Black History Month. Black History Month @ PoetPatriot.com has an article on Civil Rights and the political parties as well as links to other pages such as Political
Firsts and Rhymes of Black American Patriots of the Revolution//www.PoetPatriot.com/holidays-black-history-month.htm

For the past five years I create a display which I call the Hands on Black History Museum. I am given space in our elementary school to set up the museum display of posters, artifacts, books, memorabilia, videos
and activities for classroom teachers to visit with their classes. I bring in a guest speaker and prep older students on the topic before hearing the guest speaker. This year’s guest speaker was one of
the Freedom Riders, Matthew Walker. In past years we have had a Tuskegee Airmen, one of the founders of the Freedom Quilting Bee and the CEO of HIA, history in action toys. Also children write letters to members
of the St. Louis community. The museum has been welcomed and greatly received and the children, grades KDG through grade 5 have been so excited about all the new things they learn.

I am focusing this year on the Great Migration and the Harlem Renaissance. My 6th graders this year are very into the arts as a whole. Of course the tapping and beating on the desks drives me nuts… but I
am hoping to turn this habit (and their interest in music) into some knowledge of the arts during the Harlem Renaissance. I hope they make the connection of how some of the creativity in that era was a precursor
to rap and the other current cultural expressions that they enjoy today. Also, maybe it will inspire them to tap into their potential as artists and challenge them to express themselves more fully (and appropriately).
I am also planning to host a Poetry Slam at the end of the month (just in my classroom, unless I am allowed to do it as an in-school activity).

LaGuardia and Wagner Archives at LaGuardia Community College/CUNY has published a “Let Freedom Ring” documents based curriculum//www1.cuny.edu/portal_ur/content/freedom_curriculum/index.php “The Let Freedom Ring” curriculum
is made up of seven lessons that teach students about struggles for freedom and the conflicts that ensued, bringing freedom to life through the analysis of primary sources. The lessons show how the meaning of
freedom is contextual and changes over time. Each lesson looks at a particular moment of history to see how freedom can be redefined, taken away or expanded, and driven by the political, social and economic
forces of the time.

Thank you very much for this trove of resources. In my classes, we are reading literature that illustrates America’s racist past. Only through recognition of our nation’s faults can we move forward
to the more perfect union envisioned by our founding fathers. We have not quite reached the Promised Land of MLK, but we are gradually moving in the right direction. My students will be writing an essay on the
cherished American value of Tolerance as a culminating activity. For any that are interested, the essay assignment is available on my blog, as well as other resources that I will gladly share.

The New York Times Learning Network has been such a wonderful resource for my classes. Thank you again.

Integrate Art / Literacy / Music / and Technology into the 9-12 Classroom. Watch the grammy winning documentary Standing In The Shadows of Motown. You are invited and can use, share and make your own Funk Brothers
Webquest for Black History Month Class Project.//www.edu-cyberpg.com/Culdesac/Stars/funkbrothers.html